Al-Hilal’s chief executive has explained why the Saudi Pro League side did not sign Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the Club World Cup.
Ronaldo has been heavily linked with an exit in recent months as his current Al-Nassr contract is due to expire on June 30.
The 40-year-old departed Man Utd at the end of 2022 as his contract was mutually terminated after butting heads with former boss Erik ten Hag and other club chiefs and joined Al-Nassr on a free transfer.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has 93 goals and 19 assists in 103 appearances for Al-Nassr, but it has been suggested that he is unhappy at the Middle East club after they finished third in the Saudi Pro League and lost in the AFC Champions League semi-finals
It has also been claimed that he was being lined up for a move to Al-Nassr’s rivals, Al-Hilal, so he can compete in this month’s Club World Cup and he reportedly received a ‘powerful offer’ to join them for the tournament.
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However, he has instead opted to commit his future to Al-Nassr as it’s been reported that he is set to sign a new contract.
Now, Al-Hilal’s chief executive, Esteve Calzada, has commented on their reported interest in Ronaldo and explained why a move did not go through.
“We normally don’t comment on players’ situations, particularly because our name is always put out there, when a player or an agent wants to negotiate a better deal with his club, or is trying to move out,” Calzada told BBC Sport.
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“It’s been a very weird transfer window, it’s a very short period of time.
“You don’t want to take a decision thinking about this tournament that then you have to carry on with for the next two or three years.
“As much as I respect Ronaldo as a huge player, as we all recognise he is, it’s certainly completely counter-intuitive that you bring the biggest player of your biggest opponent to play with you.
“Even more when it’s only for three to four weeks.
“We’ve been trying to see if we can reinforce the team. But some players were with a mindset of ‘holidays already’, some players were sometimes just asking for too much money, and we’re aware that our team is extremely competitive.
“We’ll go into the traditional transfer window after the tournament still with the biggest ambitions to see if we can reinforce the team even more.”
